Eating Vegan: Where Do You Get Your Iron?

Most folks associate dietary sources of iron with animal foods like red meat and eggs. Fortunately, there are lots of veggie sources of iron, and with a little bit of knowledge, it’s easy to work sufficient iron into a vegan diet.

The tricky thing about dietary iron is that there are two sorts: heme and non-heme. Non-heme iron is the type found in plant sources of iron, and it is harder for the body to absorb than heme iron.

That said, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group, iron isn’t as big a concern for most vegans for a couple of different reasons:Vegetable sources of iron are much higher in the mineral than meat sources. That’s a good thing, because the RDA for iron in a vegetarian or vegan diet is 14 milligrams for men and 33 milligrams for women, versus 8 milligrams for men and 18 milligrams for women that eat a standard American diet (SAD).

Of course, this is just a partial list. In general, dark, leafy greens, any sort of beans, whole grains, and dried fruits are great sources of iron. When possible, it’s a good idea to combine your iron sources with something that’s rich in vitamin C to help your body absorb. For a more comprehensive list of vegan iron sources check out this chart from the Vegetarian Resource Group.

So, vegan and vegetarian people: what are your favorite sources for iron? Am I missing anything?

About the Author

Becky Striepe My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”), and I am a crafts and food writer from Atlanta, Georgia with a passion for making our planet a healthier, happier, and more compassionate place to live. My mission is to make vegan food and crafts accessible to everyone!. If you like my work, you can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Kale is great, but has to be prepared right. We had the hardest time getting my mom to eat it!

The most important thing is: Don’t overcook! Second, remove the tough central spine – I’ve known people who just chop the whole leaf up, then don’t understand why their kale is so stringy and hard to chew…

I splash of balsamic vinegar at the end of cooking really gives it a nice flavor. Also lemon juice…

That simple kale recipe on you wife's site looks excellent! Recently, I've been really into cooking leafy greens in olive oil and white wine with lots of ginger. It comes out with a citrusy flavor that's just lovely.

That's an excellent point, Walt! I think it's definitely a misconception that vegans and vegetarians have to struggle to get enough nutrients. Thanks for sharing some awesome examples of vegans who exemplify how healthy this lifestyle can be.

my daughter had to take supplemental iron when she was a toddler to maintain her iron levels (we were full-on meat eaters) – then when she was 2.5 years old we went vegan, and she hasn’t needed supplements since

she’s 7.5 yrs old now and every time they test her iron lvls the lab results come back higher than normal

my nutritional philosophy is that if the bulk of your diet is comprised of a wide variety of whole foods then you’ll get everything you need

people love to talk about iron and especially b12 deficiencies as virtual proof that vegan diets are wrong, and unhealthy, but the reverse seems incredibly obvious when you look at all the diseases associated with the consumption of animal products – obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer – what diseases are associated with eating vegetables? not a single one.

I had an empty space up by my mailbox about 16″ wide and 8′ long and planted bright lights swiss chard for the first time. Not because we needed the specific nutrients it provides, but because it’s completely delicious!

We had a HUGE crop for such a small space. oh it was soooo very good, but it’s all gone now – too hot. (atlanta)

I’m actually in Atlanta, too! I’ve got some arugula out back that’s doing quite well, despite the heat. We’re unfortunately not growing a lot of edibles right now, but that arugula is chugging along despite my neglect!

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